By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Rex Rolfe sells a variety of materials needed to build a driveway, install a septic system and aid in erosion control, to name a few.

Those products are trucked to Rolfe Corporation’s site on Home Run Road in Bridgton from two different quarries located nearly an hour and a half round trip.

“We have some sand pits and some gravel pits. We do not have a quarry. What we’re trying to do is streamline our trucking costs, our expenses, and environmental impacts by making it closer to home,” said Rolfe, regarding R. Rolfe Corporation’s proposal to develop a quarry off Trails Edge Way in West Bridgton. “Right now, there is a huge demand for aggregate. There’s a huge demand for crushed stones.”

Rolfe sees the project as a chance to employ more people (his workforce is at 15 right now), add to the tax base and “support the community better than we can right now.”

“Environmental concern is huge for us, always has been. I was born and raised here. I go on the lakes as much as I possibly can. A lot of people speak like I don’t care. It really bothers me because I’m a local boy...Not many people that oppose this can say that,” he said. “I have no issue with that. I appreciate everybody coming to this town. I appreciate everybody that’s here. We have to look at it open-mindedly, make sure everything is okay and work together.”

A public hearing was held Tuesday night regarding Rolfe’s quarry proposal. Jamie Garland, a senior projects manager for Sebago Technics, gave an overview of the quarry proposal. It includes:

• The site is located off Trails Edge Way, a private road off Route 302 in West Bridgton.

• The project consists of two phases — Phase 1 mineral extraction from a 10-acre parcel, Phase 2 use of a 7.8-acre site. These properties were part of large tract owned by R. Rolfe Corporation. The remaining parcel is 239.64 acres.

• When the 10-acre site reaches its limit, it will be “reclaimed,” which includes revegetated. Then, the second site will be put into operation.

• The site will be outfitted with an internal drain — which meets the Department of Environmental Protection quarry standards— to handle stormwater. A test well has been installed.

“We’re going to have blasting, we going to have crushing. That’s how you make rip-rap. That’s how you make crushed stone for septic systems. That’s how you do it. Some people don’t want it in Bridgton. Please show me or tell me where the people are that are lesser than us in Bridgton that deserve to have a quarry in their yard, in their town? I’d love to have somebody explain to me who the lesser people are,” Rolfe said. “We have to work in unison and do this right. That’s what I want to do. I’ve gotten a lot of backlash from people that just say, ‘no.’ They just want it from somewhere else.”

By producing product locally, Rolfe said customers will see costs go down.

“People come to my office and say, ‘geez, a load of gravel is so much money.’ Well, I’m trucking it. I’m burning tires, burning fuel, I’m out in the open. I’m trying to eliminate a lot of that. So that’s what we’re trying to do,” Rolfe added.

Proper notice given?

Upon returning from a site walk at the proposed quarry site, Planning Board chair Deb Brusini posed the question whether to proceed with the public hearing since an abutter challenged whether proper notice had been given.

The abutter pointed out that the notice failed to include “the scope of the project.” The notice did include a sketch plan and hearing details. The abutter suggested the hearing be delayed and the applicant directed to resend notices.

“There is insufficient detail regarding the purpose of the public notice such that anyone would be able to discern the activities that will be conducted at the property. No mention of quarry activities that would occur such as blasting,” the abutter wrote.

Brusini suggested the applicant resend notices with a scope of the project narrative included.

“My feeling is this isn’t going to be the last meeting we have on this,” Brusini said. “I think if we want to remedy the situation and not have procedural issues when we conclude our decision that it’s a meeting, we just ask the applicant to re-notify with the scope and size of the project in case there are any abutters or people within a thousand feet that think this is a continuation of the sandpit. I think we should continue. I’m just saying provide more information to meet the basics of noticing in terms of the explanation.”

Planner Rolfe Madsen felt proper notice was provided, adding “There’s places where people could go and get additional information, which they have.”

The board unanimously voted to proceed with the hearing.

Resident questions, concerns

Glen Jukola of Kezar Heights wondered what Rolfe’s end goal is? First came a solar farm. Then, a sand pit.  Now, a quarry. Could an asphalt plant be next?

While Rolfe shot down the idea of an asphalt plant, he noted no one knows what the future has in store, including him.

“I don’t have a plan. I can’t predict the future. I’m not doing anything shady. I’m not doing anything sneaky. As much as everybody is looking for a got you moment, you’re not going to find it. The irony of all this, 30 years ago, 35 years ago, my father bought and sold a lot of real estate. He was an interesting guy, very controversial. I guess that would be the best way to explain it,” he said. “I was riding on a bulldozer, on a woodlot off Knights Hill Road. I have a picture of me sitting on the side of it. It was a woodlot. My father bought it, cut some wood off of it, made some money the American way. At that time, if you asked him what was going to happen with that woodlot, he probably wouldn’t know. Today, there’s a road on it. There’s multiple roads, there’s 24 houses. It’s called Kezar Heights. If everybody looks on their deed that lives up there, you’re going to see Eddie Rolfe’s name on it. At one point, if you asked Eddie Rolfe, were any of you guys going to build a house up there? How many houses? Change is going to happen.”

Deborah Ogle of Kezar Heights called for planners to seriously consider the “negative impact on health, safety, tranquility and the common welfare of residents living in the vicinity” that a blasting and rock crushing operation could pose.

“My question is, ‘who’s protecting the health, safety, welfare and properties of individuals and the quality of life in Maine?’ The purpose of the (Land Use) code ‘is to promote, conserve and conserve the health, safety, and general welfare of the inhabitants of the town,’” Ogle noted.

She also cited sections of the Maine Constitution which protects citizens.

“The Maine Constitution says nothing about the right of companies to make a profit. The Constitution of Maine says nothing about the right to people to have their building materials be outside their door,” she said. “...In light of the irrefutable current scientific information concerning the negative aspects on health, safety and welfare of Bridgton citizenry, it would be considered reckless for the Bridgton Planning Board to deliberately approve blasting and rock crunching activities when there is a known release of carcinogenic contaminants such as silica into the air and water. Additionally, the planning board has a fiduciary responsibility to the interests of those that are being served, which are the people and not the companies... The mission of the Bridgton Planning Board and the town selectmen is to insure the rights of citizens are upheld and not trampled upon to further the growth and profits of businesses.”

Greg Sleeper of Kezar Heights inquired whether the planning board would adhere to the 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday time frames for rock crushing and blasting (Rolfe already indicated there would be no Sunday operations).

“It (Land Use Ordinance) goes on to state rock crushing and blasting activity associated with gravel pits must be limited to three periods consisting of six consecutive days within a single three-year period. Just wanted to know how this applies. It does give the planning board the ability to extend all these,” Sleeper said.

Brusini said the board will address this point during their review.

Frank Emery of Kezar Heights reviewed the application and found it to be a “good application...I’m actually for the project.” His question regarded why there is no fence along the perimeter, based on the “considerable slope” and residential neighborhoods nearby.

Rolfe later indicated signage will be placed to warn individuals of the quarry’s presence.

Several citizens raised questions about noise levels, and suggested a new analysis be done, not simply accepting a report done in 2022 on the sand pit.

Jan Sleeper of Kezar Heights emphasized the health risks associated with silica dust exposure and how will it be monitored on site and away from the quarry? She found that Winthrop uses “continuous monitoring machines,” which enables someone to check at any time, day or night, if silica is passing through an area.

“Just seems prudent to me that we could have monitoring of this really harmful substance to help protect our citizens,” she said.

Rolfe responded by noting quarry operations fall under “extremely strict” regulations, which include monitoring and testing.

“The protocols we have to go through are incredible,” Rolfe said. “It’s not like we’re out there just blowing stuff up, running wild. I don’t want my employees exposed to silica dust....My guys don’t want to sit in dust pits. It’s the worst stuff in the world. I’ve been around it all my life. Nobody wants to breathe it. I don’t want my neighbors to breathe it, for sure.”

Up next

After two hours of discussion, planners voted to “continue” the public hearing on Tuesday, Aug. 20 at 5 p.m.

The applicant will bring back information to questions posed at the hearing, by both citizens and planners.